“I’ve always believed that language actually makes things happen. Not what the words mean necessarily, but the sound of them. In this poem I really decided to foreground that. Rather than try to write a poem about something, I would allow sound to draw me. It is not that I don’t think this poem has a subject, it’s more that those meanings are rooted in the sound of the poem itself.” -Kazim Ali on PoetryNow

Chanita Howard shares the obstacles she's overcome after being involved with the criminal justice system.

This interview was facilitated by Francesco De Salvatore and recorded by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. Music by Podington Bear.

My Aunt Debby is having a ball after moving into her new home in a retirement community. She's got a full calendar of activities, she's making new friends, and... she's even competing in a Halloween costume contest in her homemade Minnie Mouse costume.

Chicago suburbs Romeoville and Joliet used to be called Romeo and Juliet. Logan Jaffe and I looked into the history behind these star-crossed towns to find out why. For more information, our article is here. Produced for WBEZ's Curious City.

Curious citizen Ben Albers wanted to know which Chicago ghost story had the most evidence to back it up. Author Adam Selzer, Ben, and I headed out to the cemetery where Chicago's most famous ghost hangs her hat. Produced for WBEZ'sCurious City, the article is online here.

The Great Chicago Fire is often remembered as the event that paved the way for Chicago to become a great city. The disaster brought Chicagoans together, right? Well, yes, but people didn't always think that was such a good thing. Someone even used the phrase "awful democracy of the hour." Produced for WBEZ'sCurious City. For more the article is here.

Curious Citizen Paul Vaccarello wondered why he tends to see Amish people at Chicago's Union Station. He asked Curious City, and together we visited the train station and got to know our regional Amish neighbors a little bit better. More information, including a map that shows where Amish communities and Amtrak train lines overlap, is here.